The present invention relates to an adjustable feeding and support ramp for rotary fragmenting machines and, more particularly, to an adjustable feed ramp for adjusting an angular positioning of feed material fed and supportively fragmented by a fragmenting rotor equipped with breaking teeth, and the use thereof.
Rotating fragmenting machines equipped with a rotor and radially positioned shearing teeth such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,207,228 B1 and 5,975,443 rely upon a striker bar at a fixed radial positioning relative to the breaker teeth and feed material fed thereto. The feed material is partially fragmented or ground upon impacting of the rotating breaker teeth against the material supported upon a fixed striker bar. These machines will on occasion be inadvertently fed with an ungrindable material, such as a steel wrecking bar, which can cause machine damage or stop the drive motors. This problem led to a break-away carriage and screen assembly improvement of U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,443 which permits separation of a cradled screen and rigidly attached striker bar from the impacting rotor upon exposure to excessive shearing conditions. Although the break-away carriage and screen assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,443 does not materially affect machine fouling, it prevents excessive machine damage, especially when ungrindable feed materials are fed or lodged within the fragmenting chamber.
It has been unexpectedly discovered that the characteristics and properties of the feed materials fed to the rotating breaker teeth materially effect the fragmenting efficacy and fouling propensity of the fragmenting machine. It has been further discovered that by adjusting the angular disposition and support of the feed materials relative to the radial path of the striking breaker teeth rotating about a rotor, the fouling problem may be effectively alleviated for almost all applications. Thus, by predetermining the optimum radial positioning for any given feed material and adjusting the angular feed and support positioning to a predetermined setting for any given feed material, the fouling of feed material within the fragmenting zone of the rotary fragmenting machine may be effectively alleviated. This may be accomplished by providing a radially adjustable feeding and striking ramp, preadjusted to a predetermined angular position, which ramp serves as an impacting or supporting anvil in juxtaposition to the rotating teeth. The adjustable ramp permits radial adjustments to the proper radial disposition for any given material being fed and stricken by the rotating teeth. The less tenacious materials (e.g. soft woods) which splinter relatively easily may be processed at a more aggressive setting or impacting angle than those materials of a more tenacious and stringy character, such as the more fibrous types of woods, as typified by cottonwood, poplar, etc. Feed stock of longer lengths are sometimes more prone to fouling and may require a less aggressive setting than feed stock of shorter lengths.
The fragmenting machines are frequently mounted upon a semi-trailer and transported to various different processing sites for processing various types of different materials. Periodically the fragmenting machines are fouled by the feed material. The fouled materials typically require removal from the fouled machine and a repositioning of the releasable carriage assembly to an operative position in order to continue processing.
Feed materials fragmented by fragmenting machines equipped with rotating shearing teeth are conventionally fed to the fragmenting zone at a fixed angular positioning relative to the shearing teeth. The present invention provides an adjustable feeding and striking ramp for adjusting an angular disposition of feed material being fed onto a radial pathway of shearing teeth carried cylindrical drum or rotor of a fragmenting machine. This may be accomplished through use of a pivotally mounted feeding and striking ramp which may be angularly adjusted to a preadjusted angular positioning relative to a radial pathway as generated by the rotating shearing teeth. This permits the angular disposition of the feed material to be adjusted to a predetermined supportive striking position so as to optimize the fragmenting efficacy of the fragmenting machine and to alleviate machine fouling.